Don’t Frack The Playground

Fracking is sparking debate across the country. Have you seen the latest movie about a gas company going into a rural small town in Pennsylvania to extract natural gas from shale rock that exists deep below the ground, Promised Land? Scary stuff.

Along with the hundreds of toxic chemicals used in the fracking process that have been known to contaminate the water; the air we breathe can also be adversely affected. Air pollution from the fracking process releases emissions of toxic and smog-forming pollutants. Most notably, benzene — a known carcinogen. This can lead to health problems like asthma, cancer and long-term lung damage in people who live nearby.

I don’t believe anyone should have to trade their family’s health or quality of life for an energy source that could potentially be poisonous. So, without full disclosure from the gas companies about the chemical cocktail used in the fracking process, and strong regulations to protect the health and welfare of citizens, would you let your child play near that gas tower?